1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a method of power management, and particularly to a method of power management for dynamically controlling power in electronic devices including a processor.
2. Description
As performance of electronic devices increases, operating frequency and operating voltage of a processor included in the electronic devices also increase. A higher frequency of operation and higher voltage of the processor cause an increase in power consumption of the electronic devices. Low power consumption is important, particularly, in battery-operated handheld electronic devices such as mobile communication terminals, PDAs (personal digital assistants), notebooks, and the like. For example, in mobile communication terminals, power consumption may be reduced by dividing an operation mode into a traffic mode and a standby mode. The standby mode may be divided into an idle mode, during which the terminal operates in response to a user input, and a sleep mode, during which the terminal sleeps to reduce power consumption if the terminal is not used for a desired amount of time. Power consumption may also be reduced by disconnecting a voltage supplied to certain portions of the terminal depending on the operating mode. However, since the terminal is turned on during both the traffic mode and the standby mode, a clock signal of the same high frequency should be applied during both the traffic mode and the standby mode. Power consumption may increase to higher than required levels when a processor of the terminal operates at a relatively high frequency regardless of the operating status of the processor.